(View Part 1 of Marie Antoinette’s life here.) Marie Antoinette had always loved children and the pressure to conceive royal heirs came from so many angles, so the stress from this put strain on the couple’s relationship. Sources vary on the reason why the delay (some say lack of sexual education, other historians claim Louis-Auguste had a problem with his equipment), but the couple finally consummated the …

Since today is Marie Antoinette‘s birthday (the ripe old age of 260), I decided to make the whole month about my favorite doomed French queen. The posts to follow in this series will span the month of November and will relate to the people who were close to her during her life: her mother, her husband, her friends and more. Keep in mind, I didn’t …

I’ll be adding to this list as I find more birthdays. Note: many birth dates, especially as you look further back in time, were not recorded. Comment below if you know of a birthday that should be added to this list! Happy birthday to… November 2 – Edward V (1470), Daniel Boone (1734), Marie Antoinette (1755) November 4 – William II (1650) November 6 – …

Halloween is this Saturday, meaning our Month of Macabre has come to an end. What was your favorite creepy post from this month? Month of Macabre: The Death of Kings (Book Review) Month of Macabre: A History of the Guillotine Month of Macabre: A Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials Month of Macabre: The “From Hell” Letter Month of Macabre: The Catacombes of Paris Month …

Victorians were surrounded by death. Consumption, cholera, typhoid, smallpox, scarlet fever-illness and death were a regular part of life in Victorian times. Despite the hardships of death and the tightly-laced nature of a Victorian person’s life, death was fetishized to an interesting degree. After the death of a loved one, a popular way of keeping them close was to enclose their hair in a locket and …

When I was in high school, I got the amazing opportunity to travel to London, Paris and Madrid, spending a couple days in each incredible city. I now regret not being able to see this mega creepy spot when I was in Paris. Maybe I’ll go back someday… When you run out of room to place your dearly departed, what do you do? You can …

On October 15, 1888, George Lusk (then the head of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee) received a letter in the mail. It was delivered with half of a human kidney. The letter read: From hell Mr Lusk Sor I send you half the Kidne I took from one women prasarved it for you tother pirce I fried and ate it was very nise I may send …

October 12th marks the 323rd anniversary of the end of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Salem, Massachusetts is famous for the witch trials and the city currently draws in tourists who come to experience the macabre location first-hand. Witch hunts are mentioned in law texts from ancient Egypt but became common practice in Europe between 1450 and 1750. As many as 100,000 people were executed for …

What is it about the guillotine that sends shivers down the spine? When it comes to execution, the guillotine was more humane and effective than beheading by axe or sword. This symbol of the French Revolution made beheading a quick and painless endeavour. Is it the size of the blade? The quick succession of deaths that occurred during the bloodiest parts of the French Revolution? Although …

In honor of October, the creepiest month of them all, I’m doing a month-long blog post series called A Month of Macabre. If you have a blog post idea, let me know in the comments. Now. Enjoy the first post in this series. Muahahaha… I picked up a copy of The Death of Kings: A Medical History of the Kings and Queens of England by Clifford Brewer last …